Want to save the planet? Take off your tie!
The Italian Health Ministry is urging employers to allow their male staff to take off their ties in the hot weather. The Health Ministry said in a statement that “Taking your tie off immediately lowers your temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius”. That should then mean businesses can turn down the air-conditioning in their offices and save on electricity (and money). Predictably, Italy’s tie makers took a dim view of this edict. One tie maker said "We can now happily continue with our lifestyle, using cars, consuming fuel, heating and cooling our homes at leisure. On one condition: we should not wear a tie while we do so."
Well, the man does have a point, saving a little electricity on air-conditioning is not really going to save the planet on its own, but as part of a wide range of measures it can help. Italy has one of the worst records in Europe when it comes to pollution. It’s going to take a bit more than workers removing their ties in the office for Italy to meet its emission targets.
